The Gift
by lyricalpeach
Summary: Follows Bless the Broken Road, future speculation. No ER action.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Gift

**Author:** lyricalpeach

**Summary:** Follow-up to Bless the Broken Road, future speculation. No ER action.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Without Prejudice. All the ER characters are property of NBC. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission. Please don't sue me. The other words are my own. Please don't steal.

**Notation:** **_Ray's thoughts _**'_Neela's thoughts' _Abby's thoughts

Chapter 1

It had taken nearly three years of knowing each other to become a couple…

Ray and Neela had been together nearly two years and married for six of those months. Life was sweet and pleasant. Every day, they woke up in each other's arms and fell asleep curled up together. Time in the ER was hard work as always, but ever since they'd become a couple, it had been intertwined with moments of fun and passion. They were in love in a way that every morning was new and full of promise. Even before their engagement, they'd talked at length about having children and needing a bigger place. They'd been very fortunate to find this place through friendly connections before the wedding, although it would be months before they could move in.

Their new place was a completely remodeled condo in a historic low-rise building. It was exactly what they'd been looking for. Within walking distance to the Fullerton L station on the blue line in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, not only was it full of young professionals and young families, it was more convenient than they could ever have asked for. This condo was a lot more expensive than they'd planned for, at the top of their budget, but it was an investment. They had agreed since their engagement to save up their resources for the new place. Of course, that included very low-key living for a year, learning to cook, a simple wedding, postponing a honeymoon and moving everything themselves… with Brett and Nick's help. Fortunately Ray's buddies worked for food and a chance to hang out in their new place, although Ray and Neela had decided that duplicate keys were definitely not going to be an option.

It had started to get really cold in the middle of October. For three months they'd waited to move into the new apartment, expecting to be there for the holidays, only to have the move date re-scheduled two months later for early January. "We're REALLY going to freeze on moving day!"

They had no energy to really decorate and celebrate the holidays properly this year, anyway. Holidays were spent working, relaxing as if it were any other day off, and partying elsewhere – the apartment was in more-than-half-packed state of mess and wasn't fit for guests. They wouldn't have been able to move if it hadn't been for Neela's parents. They had agreed to chip in with a loan and even more importantly, had given them some tough financial lessons on investing. With Ray now a practicing physician in his second year post-residency and Neela on her way up in the OR ranks, they were finally able to close the deal. Neela was so thankful for her parents' help, and amazed, she said, "We're going to own our own home. Can you imagine?"

Grinning widely, Ray pulled her close and circled his arms around her to answer, "Yes, I can," and covered her face with tender kisses.

Laughing, Neela said, "I know what you're thinking about," but before she could say more, Ray's eyes reminded her how deep his love for her was, and she stopped laughing. Instead, she tiptoed up to kiss him softly. "I love you," she whispered.

000

Thump, thump, thump, thump. Thunk! **_Stupid broken elevator. _**Ray not-so-gently put the last box into the moving van. "I can't believe we moved all that stuff." Their stuff had been strewn everywhere in the apartment. They'd been packing for a month… and yet everything only filled one little moving van. Together they closed the van door, locked it, and trudged back up the stairs for the last time, to take a look at the now empty rooms.

"Can you believe it? We're finally moved out of here…" Ray's voice trailed as he remembered all that had happened there. All his memories of everything he'd been through with Neela were attached to this place, this apartment, in his mind. But now, all the confusion, the struggles, were gone. All he could think of were the beautiful moments he'd remember from after Neela really came home for good. Long talks, intimate moments, passion and tenderness, all wrapped up within these walls. Getting engaged, coming home married. But as part of that, they'd decided starting a family needed a new place, a bigger one with a clean slate. And they'd found one. Life was perfect, they just had to say goodbye to the place where they'd spent the beginning of their life together.

Neela was silent… this place had been their home for a long time... since their Roomie days. Her mind pushed away memories she'd rather forget, to focus on where they were headed.

Ray pulled her in close. "I know," he said softly, "and I know how to say goodbye to this place." He kissed her deeply, then pulled back to smile mischievously. Neela grinned ear to ear, and they resumed saying goodbye to each room with a kiss, ending up where a warm rug used to be… **_Good thing we turned off the heat only this morning or this would be damn near impossible…_**

000

Clomp, clomp, thud. Clomp, thud. Clomp, thud. Finally, Ray's head appeared from the stairwell. **_More stair climbing on moving day? For what we're paying for this place, the elevator should always work! At least we're only on the third floor…_**

"Neela," Ray called up, "Could you come help me with this one?"

"Coming," Neela called back. She looked around – the boxes were everywhere. They were stacked like a wall not far from the door, blocking the lovely view out the living room window from the front doorway almost completely. And uh-oh, their furniture was actually last to come in. Where were they going to put it all? Maybe they'd better move the boxes to one of the bedrooms. She propped the door open and headed to the stop of the stairs to help Ray. "What happened to Brett and Nick?"

"They needed a break," Ray smiled, "so I let them go get us some lunch." They carried the box into the apartment with some effort.

"Good idea," Neela smiled back, and then gave Ray a mischievous look, "so, when will they be back?" as they put the box down on the top of the box-wall.

"Hmm, they'll be gone long enough for THAT!" Ray grinned and pulled Neela to him with one arm as he shut the door and turned the lock with the other. "Anyway, we need a break, too..."

"I just unpacked our rug…" Neela began, but before she could say anything further, Ray had covered her lips completely with his and was backing her in the direction of the rug on the living room floor.

000

"Shhh..." Brett whispered to Nick as they neared the door. Ray had given Brett the building code, but not the keys, as he and Neela had agreed, so Brett and Nick had brought lunch upstairs not finding Ray at the moving van. Hearing soft murmuring coming from inside, he dragged Nick silently back about ten paces to give them fair warning, clomping toward the door.

"Crap!" Ray muttered as they pulled on their clothes haphazardly. Ray was ready first and ran over to the door, waiting for Neela to finish. Running his hands through his hair quickly, he looked over to where Neela was still scrambling. 'Ready?' he signaled over, and thinking he got a 'Yes' opened the door to Brett and Nick with their take-out lunch.

Neela's head popped up from behind the box-wall, looking a bit disheveled and rosy. The look on her face told Ray he'd opened the door just a bit too soon.

Brett and Nick stifled their laughing. They knew what to expect the moment Ray and Neela were left alone. Sure, they were still newlyweds, but it was certain they'd be this way far beyond their newlywed status.

"Thanks for getting lunch, guys," Ray smiled, only slightly embarrassed. "Baby, come and eat," he coaxed. Neela came out from behind the box-wall with a smile at the corner of her mouth, one eyebrow raised. He pulled her in for a quick hug, and led her to sit on one of the sturdy boxes, saying "Here."

"Well, we'll have our table and chairs before dinner," Neela commented. She looked at Brett and Nick standing there, just struck again observing Ray's soft side for Neela, and said, "Well, grab a sturdy box to sit on, furniture's next."

000

"Thanks, guys, for all your help." Ray and Neela spoke in unison, and Brett and Nick raised eyebrows and then laughed out loud.

"Can you believe it? They've completely merged into a single voice," Brett managed to get out between guffaws.

"Awww, let 'em be," said Nick, "that's what we all dream about!"

Ray and Neela blushed. Neela recovered first, saying "Nick's getting invited back here and Brett's going to have to beg to be let in!"

Ray was speechless. He gave each a handshake and a quick hug. "Thanks, really, for helping us move into our home."

"No problem," Brett said, "what are buddies for?" He paused, and said "Of course, we'll come to visit you frequently…"

Ray grinned, "Sure…. but call ahead if it's not an emergency, ok?" Ray remembered Brett had the door code and said "or at least ring us before coming up."

"Oh, right…" Brett smirked, "I promise to clomp loudly before knocking on the door."

Wide-eyed, Ray and Neela turned beet red this time. "Okay, okay... see you guys later. Thanks again," Ray ushered them out before they were dished out any more embarrassing jabs.

000


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The Gift

**Author:** lyricalpeach

**Summary:** Follow-up to Bless the Broken Road, future speculation. No ER action.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Without Prejudice. All the ER characters are property of NBC. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission. Please don't sue me. The other words are my own. Please don't steal.

**Notation:** **_Ray's thoughts _**'_Neela's thoughts' _Abby's thoughts

Chapter 2

'_Unpacking is such a chore!'_ Neela thought, as she ripped the tape off another. '_This one must be Ray's, oops...'_ But the moment the tape was ripped off, the flaps popped open, revealing sheet music lying on the top with her name on it. Smiling, she remembered Ray playing soft ballads on the guitar for her, songs she had never heard and that she knew he had composed himself. She recognized the melody and smiled, '_Ahh, I know which one this is… and it's my favorite. Anyway, I'd better put it away.' _ She carefully re-taped the box lid back down and continued opening another.

In the other room, Ray had accidentally opened one of Neela's boxes to find the engagement box, padded carefully with packing material that smelled like jasmine. **_To overcome the anchovy smell_**, he thought, smiling to himself. He carefully closed the box and crossed off his name, putting Neela's on it.

Hurrying out to see how Neela's unpacking was coming, Ray stumbled over one smaller unpacked box of books and landed on an empty one, crushing it. "Ow, crap!"

Recovering, he shouted gleefully, "Ooh, time to start making a box tower!" **_Maybe this will lighten her mood about packing…_**

"You're silly," Neela glanced sideways at her seemingly five-year-old husband.

Ray attempted to fix the box he'd landed on, and then said sadly, "This one's too smushed." Grabbing a few others, he stacked them in the middle of the room until he couldn't reach without a chair.

"Ray, please flatten those and put them in the storage closet," Neela was losing patience. She hated moving. More than that, she was tired and couldn't take Ray's lighthearted attitude toward packing, which meant that he'd unpacked half as many boxes – of course he had a lot less stuff.

"Oh, alright." Ray, defeated, put all the empty boxes away, revealing just a few boxes left to be unpacked. **_Bad idea._**

The condo was starting to look like their own home, not just a pretty place to live in.

"I'll start some dinner while you finish unpacking those," Ray kissed Neela's head and rubbed her shoulders. "After dinner we'll utilize the dishwasher and relax for awhile." **_Early shift tomorrow,_** he resisted saying out loud. She was tired enough already. **_I'll give her a nice massage_**, he thought. Hopefully she'd be in the mood for some playtime before crashing.

000

"Ooh," Neela moaned, "I didn't know my back ached that much."

"Now that we're unpacked," Ray said, "you don't have to feel so grumpy anymore. I know you hate moving."

Neela could only moan in response to his ministrations. The tension finally started to leave her body relaxed. Ray sensed she was moaning less and relaxing more. He finished the massage and then leaned down close, brushing his lips against her ear. "Feel better?"

In answer, Neela twisted underneath him to smile seductively, saying, "I knew you had an ulterior motive…"

Ray grinned. "Who, me??"

"C'mere, you."

000000

Since they'd moved into their new condo just over three months ago, Ray and Neela had been slowly decorating. Some new furniture and housewarming gifts made the place feel warm. Wedding pictures and candids from short trips now adorned the walls, desks and tables, and the place had really become home.

The new place had three bedrooms and two baths, lots of room for a little family and plenty of space for occasional guests. The largest bedroom contained their new bed, Ray's favorite guitar, lots of pictures, and Neela's feminine touches. The adjacent room had been left clean and empty save for the stuffed closet. The third and smallest room was on the other side of the condo, and served two purposes, a small music room for Ray and a guest room. There they stored Ray's backup guitar and music equipment and Neela's old bed.

In the living room, a new couch stood proudly, facing the tall, curved bow window. On the living room floor was their soft rug, laid out in front of the couch. A gas fireplace sat in the corner to the left of the window. The kitchen was big enough for two occasional amateur cooks, with a breakfast counter for their rushed mornings. A small dining table sat across from the kitchen in a nook.

More than big enough to be comfortable, and still small enough to be cozy and warm, the building had only two failing features. The elevator was frequently being serviced and the stairwell wasn't heated. Thankfully, the two floors to climb, on top of walking to and from L stations, weren't too bad. Considering the parking costs, walking was a good savings, they agreed, better to have a nice home to come back to.

000

It was Saturday morning, and Neela had actually gotten up very early. She was now making French toast and bacon – good thing she'd learned to cook some basics in the last year. It didn't hurt that bacon was faster and easier in the microwave. Coffee was easy, she'd known how to make Ray's coffee years ago… and juice and milk were refrigerated.

Kitchen smells wafted across the apartment, down the hall, through the door cracks and through the heating vents to Ray's nose. Sniffing without opening his eyes, he smiled drowsily before grabbing his robe and padding out the door.

Neela's back was turned as she was frying the French toast, and the sizzling took all her concentration. Ray reached her before she noticed, but he waited for her to turn around, so she wouldn't freak out too much and burn herself.

Neela turned and was surprised to see Ray standing so close to her and said, "Ray, where'd you come from? Don't sneak up on me like that!", and then recovering from her surprise, sang out, "Well, good morning, sleepyhead!"

Ray leaned down to kiss Neela sweetly. "Cooking? What's the occasion?"

"Do I need an occasion to cook? We've been doing lots more cooking recently," Neela answered, "and I am quite capable of making very good vanilla cinnamon French toast."

"I know that, babe, but you don't usually cook this early on a Saturday." Ray reminded her, wondering what was up.

Neela was quiet just for a moment, looking slightly nervous, and said, "Well…" She paused, and Ray hugged her to him.

"What is it?"

"Ray?"

"Yes, baby?"

"I'm pregnant."

000


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The Gift

**Author:** lyricalpeach

**Summary:** Follow-up to Bless the Broken Road, future speculation. No ER action.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Without Prejudice. All the ER characters are property of NBC. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission. Please don't sue me. The other words are my own. Please don't steal.

**Notation:** **_Ray's thoughts _**'_Neela's thoughts' _Abby's thoughts

Chapter 3

Ray was struck with amazement – **_I know we've been talking about it, but.. Wow!! Are we ready? I guess we will be.. _** He came out of his brief state of shock and grinned ear to ear. Suddenly, he picked Neela up and swung her around and around until she cried happily "Stop, stop!"

Ray, breathless, slowed to a stop and gently put Neela down. His arms around her waist, and leaning his wide shoulders back and stretching his neck down, looked at her with joy and amazement. "Baby, that's wonderful!" He smiled softly, and Neela smiled back.

"I've been suspicious for awhile, but just tested this morning. The due date should be middle of December," Neela explained. She continued, "I didn't want to say anything until I was sure." Pausing, she added "I guess we didn't plan for it to happen quite so soon, but I'm really, really, REALLY happy."

Ray nodded, hugging her to him tightly again and lifting her feet off the floor. Neela laughed with joy, and he and resisted spinning her, saying, "So am I, babe, so am I."

"Well, let's have our breakfast, and then we can get ready for some shopping," Neela smiled.

"I'm hungry for something else," Ray started with a grin, but Neela stopped him.

"Food first, I'm hungry!"

Impatiently, Ray waited for Neela to finish eating while he drank coffee and munched a piece of Neela's French toast he'd slit and stuffed some bacon and maple syrup into. "Mmm, this is really good, babe."

"Better than chocolate raspberry jelly with chocolate sprinkles?" she teased.

"Better than the Krispy Kreme donut, but not better than my sweet doughNeelanut," he gave her a mischievous look.

"Okay, I'm done eating now…"

Scooping Neela up gently, he said, "I'll clean up later.." Ray carried her to their bedroom and laid her down. They celebrated in their tender way, and afterwards, Neela fell asleep. Ray lay watching her, but gave up when she fell into a deep sleep.

When Neela woke up, it was mid-morning and Ray had already cleaned the kitchen, showered and packed a day bag for their shopping trip.

"Let's go," Ray smiled eagerly, "have your shower and get dressed and we'll head toward Michigan Avenue to do some window shopping."

"I think I'd rather go to Oakbrook mall…" '_where all the baby stores are…'_

"Okay," Ray said. **_Oakbrook is huge.. and has all those baby stores that we noticed last time, _**he thought, pushing Neela towards the bathroom. Ray was feeling just a little apprehensive about baby shopping, but he quickly laid out her coat, hat and scarf for her and headed to the kitchen to pack some lunch, because it would be lunchtime by the time Neela was ready, and a long day for him while she shopped.

000

"Oooh, look!" Neela exclaimed again. She'd ooh'ed and ahh'ed almost constantly as they looked at all the baby clothes. Of course, they weren't really ready to buy much yet, but it was fun to see all the cute designs.

Ray followed faithfully as Neela bounded from rack to rack, store to store, and finally got tired. Neela didn't need maternity clothes yet, but she'd be thinking about it about a few months down the line. He was sure a lot of shopping was headed his way and made a mental check to ask Abby to take Neela shopping so he could opt out sometimes.

000

A month had passed, and so far Neela had the easiest pregnancy she could have asked for. Other than being tired and hungry, Neela had tolerable nausea and no vomiting. She wasn't showing yet, so they'd been able to keep it a secret. Although their excitement might have shown through a bit, since they were still in newlywed mode, nobody noticed.

Neela was awoken when Ray stirred and got out of bed, letting cool air under the blankets. "Ray?" she said sleepily, "where are you going?" No answer came but for the sound of the bathroom door closing.

Suddenly, Neela heard retching in the bathroom and hurried over. The door wasn't locked, and she threw it open. Ray was there, hunched over the toilet, looking shocked.

"Ray, are you alright?" Neela was worried. She felt his forehead, touched his cheek. '_No fever… Did he eat something wrong? Stomach virus??'_

Ray reached over and flushed the toilet, then got up slowly and rinsed his mouth in the sink. He looked at Neela, and said "I'm okay now."

"What happened?"

"I woke up and felt dizzy… not sure what happened."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Neela still looked worried.

"I'm fine, baby. It's probably just something I ate. Let's go back to bed." He put an arm around her and led her back to the bed.

000

Next morning, the same thing happened. "Ray, you'd better get checked out – let's go to County." But when they arrived, Neela felt a little nauseous herself, so she persuaded Ray, "Let Abby take a look at you."

Reluctantly, Ray left Neela in the lounge and went to find Abby. "Abby, do you have a few minutes? I've been nauseous and dizzy two mornings in a row, with vomiting. I… uhm…" Ray hesitated.

"You need blood drawn," Abby remembered his issue with needles, "okay." She knew he didn't want everyone else to know. "Curtain 3's open. Have a seat, I'll be right back."

Ray went to sit down, pulling the curtain around him. Abby pulled it open when she arrived, and he yanked it shut. She started toward him and he wriggled.

"Stop it, Ray!" Abby exclaimed in a whisper, "I just need one little tube, and it's the tiniest butterfly needle ever." Ray had been fidgeting, he really hated needles. Thank goodness only Abby would know as long as they were quiet.

Looking like a scolded child, he sat still, squeezed his eyes shut and tried to relax his arm.

"Done!" Abby said, "the results should be back in an hour. Go find Neela, and I'll page you when the lab comes back."

Ray found Neela still in the lounge. She'd fallen asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he sat down and rested. He felt fine now. **_What could it be? Two mornings in a row?_** He leaned back, and before he knew it, Abby was shaking him gently.

"Ray," Abby said, "there's nothing wrong with you."

"What?"

"The labs are normal, everything's fine." She gave him a look, and at Neela sleeping, and remembered noticing a bit of extra glee they'd been demonstrating recently. She began thinking about an interesting possibility…

Ray looked confused, and just sat.

Abby pretended to ask off-handedly, "So… when's the baby due?"

"What? Neela told you? We agreed to wait until the first trimester passed…" Ray was shocked.

"Ah-ha! No, Neela didn't tell me," Abby laughed, "I just had an inkling of why a healthy man would be vomiting two mornings in a row and otherwise be completely fine."

Ray was still confused and just looked at Abby with a face that screamed, 'I don't get it, help!'

"You're having morning sickness," Abby said, trying not to look amused.

"What? I'm not pregnant, Neela is. Why would I…" finally, it dawned on him – **_the sympathetic husband syndrome_**.

"It's a sign of your emotions, how closely tied you are to Neela."

"But she's only having a little nausea, no vomiting at all." Abby held back a smirk and a giggle. She knew it wasn't easy for Ray to show vulnerability to outsiders. At least she was on the borderline. She knew Neela and Ray trusted her completely.

"And now you're having it for her." **_Oh, no… Am I in this for the whole pregnancy?_**

Abby noticed him turning white and said, "it's probably just for another month, sweetie," trying to be reassuring. "Just try to eat well and get lots of rest."

Debating for a moment, she decided and whispered, "Luka was fine by the end of the first trimester." Ray eyes opened wide. **_Really?_ **"Shhh… it's our secret, okay? I won't tell anyone. If anyone finds out it won't be from me." She thought to herself, they'll be able to tell if he gets pale and Neela gets bigger, and smiled.

000


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** The Gift

**Author:** lyricalpeach

**Summary:** Follow-up to Bless the Broken Road, future speculation. No ER action.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Without Prejudice. All the ER characters are property of NBC. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission. Please don't sue me. The other words are my own. Please don't steal.

**Notation:** **_Ray's thoughts _**'_Neela's thoughts' _Abby's thoughts

Chapter 4

So, for the first trimester, Ray was the one who felt ill frequently and he was always worrying unnecessarily about Neela and the baby. Neela scolded him frequently, and it didn't help that her moods swung like crazy. By the end of the first three months, he was a little thin and a bit pale. It was as if Abby could predict their future…. Again!

The second trimester, by contrast, was amazing. Neela felt great, Ray had gotten his color back quickly and they were amazed at their newfound energy, even after long workdays. Most of that energy was spent making love – Ray had been too ill and Neela too tired to do so much for two months – and it was as exhilarating and wonderful as it was warm and intimate; the rest was spent preparing for their baby's arrival. They'd agreed to find out if it was a boy or a girl, so they could get used to the idea and plan the nursery design.

"Thank goodness the elevator's been working recently," Ray said, as he pushed the button for the garage. He didn't want Neela walking the few blocks to the L anymore, even though both their station and the one at County were accessible and she wouldn't need to climb stairs. "So, babe, do you want a boy, or a girl?"

"A boy," Neela answered without hesitation.

"Really? I'm hoping for a girl," Ray replied. They reached the garage. "Wait here, babe, I'll get the car warmed up first." Neela stood in the warm elevator lobby as Ray headed for the car and turned the heat on full blast. He pulled around to pick her up. They headed to the hospital, excited.

In the exam room, they watched the screen as the ultrasound tech squeezed the cold gel on and they got their first glimpse of their baby. He said, "Do you want to know the sex?" They nodded.

Eyes wide in awe, they watched as the baby turned this way and that. The tech didn't even have to tell them the sex – they saw it before he could say anything. "You're having a girl, congratulations!" He finished the measurements and handed them the videotape and printed screenshots to take home. As he left them, they smiled at each other.

"So, are you disappointed that it's not a boy?" Ray teased.

"Of course not!" Neela smiled. "She's made from us. I'm not disappointed." She added, "I'm not sure I could take another one of you, anyway," laughing.

Ray laughed, too. He retorted, "So you say, but I am HAPPY to have another one of you."

Neela looked very happy at that, and perhaps a bit smug, and Ray kissed her quickly, and helped her up. "Shall we head to Oakbrook mall, now, so you can pick out something cute and pink for her to come home in?" He smiled warmly and hugged her to his side, supporting her.

"Really?" Neela smiled, "you're willing to be dragged around the mall again?"

"Well, we should celebrate finding out we're having a daughter," Ray grinned, "and that I won." He nuzzled her and put his hand on her bigger and still-growing tummy. Their daughter kicked his warm hand as he said, "Mommy wants to buy you a coming home outfit," and continued, "and Daddy wants to get you a pink guitar."

Neela burst out laughing.

000

"Thank goodness for that book and for Abby and Sam's help," Neela said, as they marked off the checklist. The book came recommended to them by a number of friends with young children – it saved them money and had tips on what they could resist buying. They hadn't planned on having a baby for another year, so they could use all the help they got. Since Abby and Sam had boys, they didn't have any girly things to donate. Abby did give them some nearly-new gender-neutral things to get them started.

They'd been shopping since late morning until mid-afternoon, and come home for Neela to nap, but she hadn't been tired yet. Ray was busy putting the crib together. **_What kind of convoluted instructions are these, anyway? Fortunately I'm good at this sort of thing…_** Finally, he finished. They'd chosen a simple wooden crib with clean lines, in a sunny, warm wood stain. Neela had been doing the laundry and folding it as she watched him put up the crib. She had the baby's bedding all ready to go. Ray helped her dress up the crib and mattress, and hung the mobile, winding it up just a little and giving it a soft push. Softly, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star played as soft animals turned round and round under a palm tree. The room had been painted palest green, with a blue ceiling and sponged-on clouds, Ray's touch. He wouldn't let Neela climb the ladder to do it. Soft green and pink accents were scattered in the room. Aside from the crib, the other baby furniture wasn't new – it cost too much. They'd found instead a consignment store with pieces in great condition – a tall chest of drawers, a changing table, and a rocker. That was all they really needed.

Ray covered the rocker with a newly-washed comforter and led Neela to it. "Here, baby."

The comforter made the rocker cozy and warm, and very, very soft. As she sat with her hands on the arms of the rocker, Ray kneeled in front of her and laid his head on her lap, cheek to her tummy. He took her hands in his and kissed them, and laid them on her tummy. Kissing her tummy first, then lifting his face to gaze into her eyes, he said solemnly, "I love you, baby," and added, "and you too, baby," addressing Neela's tummy. "I will do everything in my power to take good care of my girls." **_I mean it_**, his eyes said to Neela, **_I really will._** '_I know you will,' _her eyes answered back.

000


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** The Gift

**Author:** lyricalpeach

**Summary:** Follow-up to Bless the Broken Road, future speculation. No ER action.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Without Prejudice. All the ER characters are property of NBC. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission. Please don't sue me. The other words are my own. Please don't steal.

**Notation:** **_Ray's thoughts _**'_Neela's thoughts' _Abby's thoughts

Chapter 5

It was late afternoon the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. They'd worked Thanksgiving, in order to save the time off for after the baby arrived, but after such a typically long, rough Thanksgiving weekend at the hospital, they'd taken off this first day of December off.

The door had been propped open, letting the cold air seep up the stairs onto their floor lobby. Thump, thump, thump, thump. Thunk! Loud clunking and a few expletives came drifting up periodically. Finally, Ray's head appeared from the middle of the stairwell. **_The stairwell is soooooo cold! _** His teeth were chattering slightly.

"Ray?" Neela called sweetly from their door. "How are you doing?" Ray'd instructed her to rest and stay warm and comfortable inside.

Ray finally exited the stairwell and closed the door. Instantly he felt warmer. "Fine, babe," Ray called back, "I'm almost there." Huffing and puffing as little as possible, he dragged the tree up the last steps and around the stairwell to the door. **_Why did I refuse Brett's offer for help? Macho dumbass that I am.._**

"I pushed the couch over so that you could get it into the corner by the window." Neela held the door open just with her fingertips, turning and stepping as far out of the way as possible.

Ray looked concerned and annoyed. "You're not supposed to be moving heavy things."

Neela reassured him, "I used those plastic slider thingies that go under each leg, it's fine.." Seeing the look coming over Ray's face, she started feeling timid right away.

"You lifted the couch UP??!" Ray roared at her. "Why would you do something so risky!" **_Stop yelling at her!_**

"Sorry," Neela, squeaked out.

"I'm sorry, babe," Ray dropped the tree and stepped over to hug her, "I didn't mean to yell like that."

"I know, it's ok."

"Don't be scared, baby," Ray bent down and kissed Neela's tummy. "Daddy was just scared that Mommy would get hurt." Neela smiled. '_He's so sweet, ever the overprotective husband and father-to-be.'_ "I'll just put it up over there."

"Ray, could you move it a little to the left?" "Oh wait, now a little to the right…" "Can you squeeze it a little closer to the wall?"

Ray made faces at Neela as she directed him, tweaking his movements. "You don't celebrate Christmas yet you are the most anal person about tree selection and placement."

"It's just blocking the light coming in a little too much…" Neela started, and then stopped. "We are celebrating because it's fun and because we want to make our own family traditions." Neela smiled widely.

Ray grinned and headed to the closet to pull out the twinkle lights and the few ornaments they'd shopped for in the last month. There weren't many, but Ray had told her he had some; old and new together and they would be enough to cover sparingly the side of the tree facing into the room.

"Here, babe, sit here and hand them to me one at a time and I'll put them up," Ray told Neela, as he pulled a chair over and peered upwards. The tree was tall enough that he'd need to stand on a chair to trim the highest branches. **_Why'd I get such a big tree?_** He pulled over another chair to the other side of the tree, so he couldn't fall on Neela.

Neela opened the box of the new ones and handed them to Ray, and as they finished the last box of new ones, she picked up the box of Ray's childhood ornaments labeled 'Fragile'. Opening it, she found several handmade ones on top, including a felt Santa and reindeer, a toothpick gingerbread house and a styrofoam snowman – '_Ray must have made these in primary school.'_ She absently handed those to Ray, and noticed a box labeled in script, 'For Ray'. Gently pulling it out, she opened it to find a hand-blown glass star, beautifully crafted, and cut in a snowflake pattern in the center. Neela gasped at how lovely it was, and felt a hand on her shoulder.

Ray had stepped down from trimming the tree and had been watching Neela unwrap his star. "That was a gift from my grandparents when I was little," Ray said slowly, "and I haven't opened it again since they gave it to me." He rubbed Neela's shoulders, massaging gently. "I was waiting until I had a real reason to celebrate Christmas, and a family." Neela knew he'd craved the kind of Christmas his parents had never given him. Those handmade ornaments and the star had been waiting a long, long time. Last year they were too busy and the old apartment was in disarray because they had expected they'd be moved by then. Rather than unpack, they'd had a simple gift exchange and dinner with friends in the ER.

Neela turned around as Ray kneeled down by the side of her chair. He took the star from her and put it down painstakingly on the rug in front of her, then put his arms around her belly and his ear down to listen to their baby moving inside. "And now this star will have its place on our tree," Ray said softly, as he picked up the star and climbed the other chair carefully to place the star atop their first family Christmas tree.

"It's beautiful," Neela breathed, "I can't believe how lovely it looks up there." She stood up and moved over to sit down on their new couch for a better view. Ray sat down next to her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Ray hugged her to him tightly, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and they watched the light catch in the snowflake pattern.

"That's because of us, we're a family." Ray's eyes glistened as he looked at the star atop the tree, and then down to his wife. "It's because of you."

Neela turned to him slowly, unable to reposition herself very well. Ray laughed and said, "Don't worry, baby, I'll do the maneuvering here…" as he deftly twisted his body and wrapped his other arm around her to kiss her deeply. Pulling back just for a moment, he whispered, "I love you, Neela." She saw that intensity in his eyes and wished for the baby to come and the healing time to pass so they could share that special closeness again.

"I love you, Ray." She kissed him, tongue tickling his lips, and reached for him. Surprised, he pulled away.

"Neela? You know we can't," he began. Neela was only a week from her due date, and he didn't want to risk anything. Over the last couple of months they'd slowed down and finally stopped, to prevent any early labor. It had been hard to resist, even pregnant she was the sexiest, most beautiful woman on earth to him, and on top of that, she was literally glowing with happiness.

Neela put a finger to his lips. "No, we can't do that," she said, "but there are other things I can do for you." Ray's face smiled and became an almost giddy grin, pleased she was thinking about him.

"Mmmm…." Ray relaxed, as Neela began tending to him. "Oh, Neela…" Ray's head started spinning. "Oh, baby..."

Neela pulled back suddenly, and Ray was startled, and immediately looked concerned. "What, what is it?" Neela looked up at Ray. "I think she thought you were calling HER!"

"What?!"

"Time to go!" Neela sang out.

000


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** The Gift

**Author:** lyricalpeach

**Summary:** Follow-up to Bless the Broken Road, future speculation. No ER action.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Without Prejudice. All the ER characters are property of NBC. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission. Please don't sue me. The other words are my own. Please don't steal.

**Notation:** **_Ray's thoughts _**'_Neela's thoughts' _Abby's thoughts

Chapter 6

Ray stood up, hiding one brief look of fear, and then his strength emerged. Scurrying about, he managed to get Neela's suitcase and find the car keys. **_Thank goodness for the car! Thank goodness there's gas in the car! Neela can't walk to the L and a taxi would take forever… _** Ray thought as he hurried to remember what he needed… Neela's coat! **_It's soo cold outside, I better grab some warm things._** He was out the door and about to close it when Neela called out sweetly, "Ray!" **** Ray came back in, looking very sorry and feeling like an idiot. "I can't get up." Neela laughed. "Stop rushing, honey. We don't want to get there as trauma!" Ray made a face, then smiled.

Down the hall they went, and all the while Ray was blessing the one working elevator. Too bad the tree was too big to fit in it without bending the top… He wrapped one arm around Neela's waist and had the other on her arm as they walked side by side. "Okay, baby, here we go, nice and slow."

Neela was so relieved that the baby was finally coming that she felt lighthearted. She lowered her voice to tease, "Ooh, that's how I like it!"

Ray blushed and said with his voice not quite normal, "Silly! I need to focus right now, babe, don't say things like that!" He hit the button for their garage level. He'd parked in a space near the stairs because of the tree; fortunately the elevator and stairs weren't far apart. Unfortunately, Neela's contractions weren't far apart, either.

000

They arrived at the hospital quickly and got settled in the delivery room. Neela had been laboring for less than an hour with tolerable pain when her water broke. She was now dilating at an amazing pace. She and Ray were surprised, they wouldn't have thought the time for delivery would arrive this quickly.

"Noooooooo! Noooooooooo!" Neela breathed out and in sharply. "I need an epidural, now!"

"You can't, baby, you're too far dilated." Ray tried to calm her down, but it wasn't working. Delivering other babies certainly hadn't trained him to be husband and coach, but they'd gone to class and he kept his head on.

Neela grabbed his T-shirt and pulled his head close to hers. "I. Want. Drugs. NOW!"

Ray squeezed her hand tight. "I'm here, baby, you can do this." He spoke in the low, calming voice that would get her attention. "Neela. I love you, and I need you to bring our baby into this world, and I'm here with you."

Ray calling her name finally calmed Neela down, and suddenly, she had the urge to push… "Okay, Neela, NOW!" Dr. Coburn's voice came through just in time.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Ray couldn't see the birth of his daughter as well from his vantage point and was glad it was being filmed. Even Neela wasn't sure she would want to watch the birth, but he knew he would someday. He held Neela's hand tight and rubbed her shoulder and arm. Everything became a blur.

Neela had her eyes closed and was bearing down, squeezing Ray's hand. She didn't notice that he'd checked out mentally for awhile now; she was focusing on getting the baby out of her.

Suddenly, Dr. Coburn laid their new baby on Neela's tummy. "Do you want to cut the umbilical cord?" No answer came. Ray appeared to be a bit absent. "Daddy? Do you want to cut the umbilical cord?"

Ray was jogged almost back to reality. **_She's here? I'm glad I was out of it. It would have been too hard to see Neela in so much more pain than I'd already seen her in._**

"Hello, little Anandjot," Neela whispered. She was so tired, and relieved, and happy.

Ray eyes were a bit glazed over; he was still completely dumbstruck with amazement. **_How on earth did Neela DO this? Did we do this? Did she just say something?_**

"What?" Ray came out of his fog.

"Anandjot. It means, 'The Light of Bliss'," Neela added, "We can call her Ana." '_Quite a task, to pick a lovely Sikh name that could be shortened to an easy to pronounce American nickname… Fortunately, I love this name, and I know Ray will, too.'_

Neela gazed lovingly at her new daughter in her arms while Ray solemnly cut the umbilical cord. Too soon, their new daughter was whisked away to be cleaned and weighed.

"Go follow her, I'll see you both in a bit," Neela instructed.

Ray gave her a kiss, softly saying "I'm so proud of you, baby," and left. She promptly fell asleep.

000

Ray had been following his daughter through being rubbed with soft blankets, stretched and measured, weighed, and had eye drops put in her eyes. Finally, they'd bundled her up well and sent Ray and the nurse to bring her in the hospital crib to Neela's recovery room. The nurse had shared her congratulations and a few instructions and left them alone. Now in the comfortable post-partum room, the new little family had some quiet time.

Ray stared at his tiny daughter, unable to take his eyes off her. Wavy, dark hair. **_So much hair!_** She looked so peaceful in her mother's arms, sleeping. "Ana," he breathed. "Ana, do you know you look just like your mother?"

Hearing the deep voice she vaguely recognized, Ana blinked sleepily and opened her eyes for the first time, revealing them as hazel green. Ray's mouth dropped open and quivered. **_Mine, mine and Neela's. _**He hadn't known that even their love, as deep and amazing as it was miraculous, could produce anything this beautiful… but there she was, gazing back at him with his own eyes. **_Neela must have a recessive gene for green eyes, not uncommon for Punjabi… _** his mind trailed off as he noticed Ana's eyes working to focus on his, to see the outline of his face more clearly.

Neela smiled. "Daddy's quite taken with you, isn't he?" She touched her lips to Ana's cheek and handed her to Ray, and he scooped her up gently, cradling her in his arms. He felt at a loss for words, and stretched his neck down to nuzzle Ana with the tip of his nose and kiss her forehead. Slowly and reluctantly, he handed her back to Neela, then reached behind Neela to stretch his arms around both of them. "Just wait until you see your special star!" Ray whispered to Ana, "Your first Christmas tree is waiting for you at home."

000


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** The Gift

**Author:** lyricalpeach

**Summary:** Follow-up to Bless the Broken Road, future speculation. No ER action.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Without Prejudice. All the ER characters are property of NBC. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission. Please don't sue me. The other words are my own. Please don't steal.

**Notation:** **_Ray's thoughts _**'_Neela's thoughts' _Abby's thoughts

Chapter 7

The next two days were tiring for both of them. Ray went home each day to shower and change, check messages and call Neela's parents. He ran out only when they'd just started a nap so he could be back before Ana woke up.

Early in their last morning in the hospital, Ray and Neela dozed, she on the bed and he on the fold-out cot. They'd had two days of training as parents.. not that they didn't intellectually know what to do to care for their new daughter, but it just wasn't the same. Their friends in the ER came up to visit briefly over the two day period, but otherwise left them alone to enjoy their new family, except for Abby, who bugged them about various things two or three times a day and told scary stories about the first few weeks at home. Of course, they welcomed her openly – she was their best friend and confidante. If not for Abby, they certainly wouldn't be here celebrating the birth of their daughter.

Ana woke them up with a cry, and Ray handed her to Neela for feeding, and watched with admiration for Neela-mommy as Ana nursed. After Ana was finished and had drifted off to sleep, he gently took her from Neela so as not to wake her, changed her diaper, and then laid her back down gently into the tiny hospital crib.

The nurse came by with all the exit papers, and said she'd be back in an hour or so with the wheelchair.

Neela got ready while Ray gathered their things. Ana woke up after some of the commotion, so together they entertained and dressed Ana. Ray set up a tripod to take a few going-home pictures, and then packed the tripod and took their things down to the car except for the camera and Ana's diaper bag. He had just gotten back to the room when they heard a knock on the door. The wheelchair was loaded with pink and green celebratory balloons that Ray had ordered from the gift shop. Neela smiled at how cute they were, but she was too overcome with joy to be going home to say anything. She looked at Ray and kissed him lovingly, and he held her tightly. Ray whispered, "We're going home, baby, we're taking Ana home."

Ray helped Neela into the wheelchair and lifted Ana from her crib to gently place her into Neela's arms for the ride out to the car. He grabbed the diaper bag and the camera. "I'll do the honors, thank you," Ray said proudly, as the nurse was about to take hold of Neela's wheelchair handles. Leaving the room where they had spent the first night as a little family, Ray pushed them very carefully down the hall. They rode the elevator down to the first level and stopped in the hotel lobby. They couldn't go to the ER to say goodbye, because Ana was a newborn, so Abby came out, and a few others who were free at the moment, in their turn, walked over to the lobby to wave goodbye. Ray asked Abby to take a few pictures of them, and then handed the camera around as people came to wish them luck.

Abby had removed her lab coat in the ER and grabbed her warm winter coat, and she waited with Neela while Ray went to pull the car around. "You're going to be a wonderful mommy," she said, as she watched Neela gazing down at how pretty Ana looked. "And that is a great outfit that you picked out."

Ana was wearing a very, very soft pink cotton sleeper that had been washed at least 3 times by Ray and Neela combined and didn't look exactly new anymore, but it certainly was comfortable. A pale green long sweater with an embroidered simple white orchid and a green stem on it was layered on top of the sleeper. A knitted, cotton-lined matching beanie cap with a smaller version of the same embroidered orchid covered her head. Neela stared at the tiny baby in her arms, amazed that this was what she and Ray had made together with so much love. And then she studied the outfit she'd picked out and had customized. It really was amazing – they'd have that forever to keep and remember the day they brought Ana home.

As Ray pulled up, Abby helped Neela bundle Ana in a soft, very warm cream colored bunting that Ray had chosen, with a faux-fur lining around her tiny face. Abby still had the camera, and she took a few pictures of Ana in her bunting.

Ray came in from the cold, leaving the engine running to let the car warm up a for a while. He waited before touching his daughter, he didn't want her to get cold. Seeing the thick bunting he'd chosen that Ana was wrapped in, he said, "I better go and adjust the car seat straps. She's not going to fit in there otherwise. Just unzip her for now so she doesn't get too hot." He headed back out to the car.

Abby and Neela watched through the window as he struggled a bit with the straps.

Finally coming back in, he grinned and said, "Are you ready?"

"We've just been waiting for Daddy, haven't we, Ana?" Neela smiled. "Let's go home."

Abby pushed Neela out to the car and Ray took Ana from her, put Ana in her carseat snugly and then helped Neela into the back seat so she could sit with their daughter all the way home. As he closed the door, Abby handed him the camera and asked, "Ray, do you have enough gas in the car?"

"Yes."

"Has the carseat installation been certified?"

"Yes, this car has LATCH and it's all been checked out."

"Okay," Abby said, trying to feel convinced that they'd be just fine. Even though she knew deep down they would be, she also knew what new parenthood was like. "If you need anything, just call. Advice, errands, anything except babysitting… except in an emergency."

"Don't worry, Abby. Besides, Ana's too young for Joe," Ray smirked.

"She's dressed for a hot date," Abby laughed, "and three years won't seem like a lot when they're in their thirties."

"Oh my God, Abby!" Ray exclaimed in the cold, "She's TWO DAYS OLD. Give her some time," he laughed.

Neela made faces and knocked on the window. "I heard all that!" came the muffled voice from inside the heated car.

Freezing, Ray hurried to give Abby a hug. "Thanks, Abby, for everything."

"I'll come visit when you're both ready, just let me know."

Ray got into the car and slowly pulled away. "Ok, we're going home, girls," he sang.

000

Abby headed back to the ER where everyone was eager to hear the details of Ana's going home. She described Ray's balloons, the nursery color scheme matching them and Ana's fancy outfit, noting how Ray chose the bunting. Luka finally made it back and smiled at her.

"Abby! Sorry I missed it," he said, turning the corners of his mouth down just a bit. "Did you ask them about the gas and certified installation?"

"Yup, Ray was all ready with everything." Abby looked pleased that everything was going so smoothly for the happy couple.

"That's great," Luka started, "but I know they're going to have questions in the next few weeks."

"And we'll be ready to answer them," Abby finished, smiling.

Whispering, Luka commented, "Oh, I heard Ray had morning sickness, is that true?"

"Where'd you hear that?" Abby whispered back.

"Actually, I heard him in the bathroom," Luka smiled smugly. So, he'd gotten sick other than just in the morning, No wonder he was so pale after a month! Poor Ray. Luka only had it in the mornings...

"So you're happy you're not the only one?" Abby grinned. "I knew about it, he came to me for a silent checkup."

Luka had a suspicious face on, but he wasn't surprised. Abby always seemed to know instinctively what was going on with those two. Not that other people couldn't tell, she just had an unusual talent for it. Answering his face, Abby admitted, "And, yes, I did share your secret, but only with Ray, so he wouldn't feel alone."

"Ah, what happened to, 'Your secret is safe with me, honey.' " Luka made a face. "Alright. But nobody else, ok?"

"Of course not, Ray and Neela are a special case, our closest friends."

"They most certainly are."

000

Ray drove home at an absolute snails pace compared to other cars, even on the highway, and took the safest roads possible. Neela was a bit uncomfortable in the car, but held her tongue because she wanted to get Ana home safe as much as her overly cautious husband did.

"Finally, we're here!" Neela grinned and bent down to kiss her daughter on the forehead. "We're home, Ana, just an elevator ride away from your very own room."

Ray parked as close as he could to the elevator lobby door. "Wait a sec, I'll come get you." He opened the trunk to take out the stroller and set it up. Closing the trunk and pushing the stroller around to the side of the car, he opened the door to help Neela out. "Here, babe, hold the stroller still while I get Ana." He leaned into the car and unhooked the travel part of the carseat from the base, slowly lifted it up and put it on the stroller, buckling it in. "Do you want to push or do you want me to?" he asked.

Neela answered, "I'd love to." She took the handles proudly and headed toward the lobby doors, and Ray walked with her, supporting her, then rushed around to open the door for her. Inside the elevator lobby, Ray hit the button and went to stand behind his wife, hugging her. Leaning around to kiss her cheek, he heard the 'Ding!' and reached over to put his hand to make sure the elevator door stayed open until they were all safely inside. Ana, surprisingly, hadn't cried at all. The ride home had been short, and she'd dozed and cooed all the way, not complaining about anything. They finally reached their door, and Ray unlocked it. **_Thank God I remembered to program the thermostat yesterday so it'd be warm when we got home._**

Finally inside, they closed and locked the door and quickly took off their warm things. Ray helped Neela out of her coat and then took Ana out of her carseat and the heavy bunting. Ray handed her to Neela and then took his coat off, hanging both on the coat rack. Hugging his girls, Ray said, "Welcome home, Ana," and stretching his neck over their daughter, he kissed Neela deeply first, then slowly pulled back. Penetrating her eyes with an intensity and strength beyond what she'd already seen, he finally relaxed his face to turn up the corners of his mouth to give her a soft smile, and said, "Welcome home, Neela."

000


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** The Gift

**Author:** lyricalpeach

**Summary:** Follow-up to Bless the Broken Road, future speculation. No ER action.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Without Prejudice. All the ER characters are property of NBC. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission. Please don't sue me. The other words are my own. Please don't steal.

**Notation:** **_Ray's thoughts _**'_Neela's thoughts' _Abby's thoughts

Chapter 8

Ray and Neela had been home together with Ana for just two weeks. Ray had paternity leave until after the holidays, and special permission to take shorter shifts for up to a month afterwards, so Neela wouldn't be alone as much. It was a temporary pay cut, but they'd planned for this, and worked it out. Neela had partial salary during her leave and their medical benefits with the hospital were excellent, so they would be alright.

Ana had such a mild temperament that they had it easy. She cried only when she needed something, and she never lacked for love and attention. When her parents were otherwise occupied, she busied herself with looking at the white blobs on her ceiling and the dangling plush animals or listening to soft music. Ray had recorded a number of soft tunes he had played on the guitar for her to listen to, nothing like the energetic music he loved dearly. He also sang to her constantly.

Neela was amazed at how good Ray was with Ana – and yet she had never doubted that he would be an amazing father. Not only that, but he took care of her at the same time, not letting her overdo anything, instructing her firmly to rest so that she could recover. Between the two of them, they had fewer struggles than anyone would have thought in those first two weeks.

Neela was very tired, and so was Ray, but they stayed up for a while after they had laid Ana down to enjoy their Christmas eve. Ray turned the fireplace on and grabbed several pillows to set up against the couch and a comforter. Neela poured mugs of the cider they had been keeping warm. As she set them down, Ray turned the stereo on low. Soft instrumental music began playing. They sat down on the thick, soft rug in front of the tree, wrapping the comforter around them and leaning against the pillows. Warm and comfortable with each other as always, they looked around their home. Gifts, colorful and beautifully wrapped, sat under the tall evergeen they had picked out together. Their eyes traveled up to the softly lit branches to the beautiful star reflecting the streetlights streaming in from the window. The warm, spicy smell of cider and the greenness of the tree filled their noses, and they turned to each other to wrap their arms fully around each other. Gentle cuddling turned into tender kisses, and Ray pulled back as words of the soft music caught his ear.

"Ray?"

"This song…" They gazed deeply into each other's eyes, and then leaned in gently until their foreheads were touching, and nuzzled noses as Ray sang along softly. Neela rested her head on Ray's shoulder and closed her eyes to focus on listening to him, to the voice that stirred her heart, that could always get her attention, and melt her.

000

_"The Gift" Jim Brickman_

_Winter snow is falling down _

_Children laughing all around _

_Lights are turning on _

_Like a fairy tale come true _

_Sitting by the fire we made _

_You're the answer when I prayed _

_I would find someone _

_And baby I found you _

_All I want is to hold you forever _

_All I need is you more every day _

_You saved my heart _

_From being broken apart _

_You gave your love away _

_And I'm thankful every day _

_For the gift _

_Watching as you softly sleep _

_What I'd give if I could keep _

_Just this moment _

_If only time stood still _

_But the colors fade away _

_And the years will make us grey _

_But baby in my eyes _

_You'll still be beautiful_

_All I want is to hold you forever _

_All I need is you more every day _

_You saved my heart _

_from being broken apart _

_You gave your love away _

_I can't find the words to say _

_That I'm thankful every day _

_For the gift _

000

Neela had become cozily drowsy from Ray singing her and was jolted a bit when before the song ended, he began kissing her again, and then with one soft kiss, stopped. He waited until she'd opened her eyes to look at him. The intensity in his eyes told her he wanted to say something, and he did.

"Neela." He paused as he pulled her in for a long, deep kiss, lingering before he stopped again. "Thank you."

"For what, Ray?" **_She must have been dozing_**, he thought, **_she has no idea what I've been singing, what I've been working up to saying_**.

"For the Christmas gifts you've given me." Neela looked confused.

"What do you mean, it's not actually Christmas yet, I haven't even put all your gifts under the tree… unless you sneaked and found something… oh…" Neela became distracted, '_did he find the…' _and then realized, '_oh, maybe I'm missing something, something in what he was singing…'_

Before she could finish her thought, Ray silenced her with another kiss. "Thank you, for the gift of your love, and the gift of our daughter." Neela smiled. Ray was always reminding her how lucky she was to have him when he shared like this. She knew how deeply in love he was with her, and she was as deeply in love with him.

"I love you, Neela," he paused at her name and continued, "more than you'll ever know."

"I love you, too, Ray. I love you so much." This time Neela pulled him in for a kiss. "Thank you for loving me and looking after our family. You're such a great dad to Ana."

"She's a lucky girl, to have you for a mommy," Ray smiled.

"And I'm lucky to have you as my husband to share life with," Neela looked at him lovingly.

Ray almost blushed, and quickly leaned in to kiss Neela again, to hide his face and express his love with his soft mouth. Her words meant so much to him.

Pulling her in tight, he gradually realized it could be Christmas already, and checked the clock to see. **_It's already past 1am? No way!_** They had tended to be a little confused about the hour of the day recently, with Ana up every few hours.

"Neela, babe, it's past 1am..."

"What?!" Neela was astonished at first, then laughed. "Well, we do lack for any reasonable schedule these days…"

Suddenly they heard a cry. They smiled at each other warmly, and Ray helped Neela up. "Well, let's go wish Ana a Merry Christmas," Ray said softly. They padded to Ana's room and she stopped crying the moment she heard them. Ray scooped her up and kissed her forehead, saying "Merry Christmas, Ana," before handing her to Neela. Cooing, Ana felt the warmth and comfort of her mother's arms and her father's voice.

Neela echoed, "Merry Christmas, Ana," then turned to kiss Ray, cudding Ana between them. Ray smiled warmly. "Merry Christmas, Ray."

"Merry Christmas, baby."

000


	9. Chapter 9

Title: (none)  
Author: lyricalpeach Summary: This is the timeline for Bless the Broken Road and The Gift that I conjured - it might help you understand when the story skips some period of time.  
Rating: K Disclaimer: Without Prejudice. All the ER characters are property of NBC. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission. Please don't sue me. The other words are my own. Please don't steal. 

Timeline:

R3. May 2006 in show time, start of season, Neela still grieving, been 6 mo till now.  
February 2007, Five months of viewer torture, Finally coming to an understanding for end February (sweeps) (total show time torture 10 months)  
So length of time since start of season to Christmas 7 months in show time One month of talking and becoming a couple and coaxing and planning to move back in. (March) R4. May 2007, Ray named CR.  
First two weeks of April 2007, Two weeks of moving back in Rest of 2007 – 8 months of living together Engaged January 2008 6 months of engagement 1st year practicing physician. May 2008, Ray becomes attending.  
Married July 2008, in old apt 3 months, supposed to move end oct, then bumped to jan.  
5+ months of waiting to move into the new place Move in early January 2009 3 months in the new place Mid-March, Neela pregnant (finds out early April, unplanned.) (due date 12/15)  
2nd year practicing physician. May 2009 9 months more to Christmas Baby delivered early (1 week early) 


End file.
